2018 Summer Festival Preview: US and Europe

(June 2018)

Boosey & Hawkes composers are featured in major summer music festivals throughout the US and Europe. Below is a selected list of major performances, premieres, and residency highlights, including celebrations of Leonard Bernstein’s 100th birthday, which falls on August 25.

Britt Symphony and FestivalMedford, Oregon, June 12–September 14On July 27, the Britt Orchestra performs Anna Clyne’s Abstractions, an orchestral suite inspired by contemporary pieces of artwork. The orchestra also performs two works by Edgar Meyer on August 4: New Piece for Orchestra and Concerto for Double Bass and Orchestra in E, the latter featuring the composer as soloist.

Additionally, the festival celebrates Bernstein’s centennial with a performance of his first symphony on July 28, and a dedicated Bernstein concert (Overture to Candide and Serenade with violinistAnthony Marwood) on August 10.

Grant Park Music FestivalChicago, Illinois, June 13–August 18This June, the Grant Park Orchestra performs Sean Shepherd’s Magiya in two performances at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion. On July 20 and 21, the orchestra presents Detlev Glanert’s Frenesia.

Tanglewood Music FestivalLenox, Massachusetts, June 15–September 2Tanglewood leads Bernstein’s centennial celebrations this summer with nearly two dozen concerts that represent Bernstein’s wide range of musical output, including orchestral works, ballets, musicals, and operas. Conductors sharing the Tanglewood podium throughout the seasonlong focus include Andris Nelsons, Christoph Eschenbach, Keith Lockhart, Michael Tilson Thomas, and John Williams; notable performers include Audra McDonald, Midori, Yo-Yo Ma, Susan Graham, and Thomas Hampson. In addition, the Boston Symphony Orchestra will be augmented by players from numerous orchestras around the world with which Bernstein maintained close associations.

Tanglewood also presents Brett Dean’s ensemble work Voices of Angels (1996) for violin, viola, cello, double bass and piano on July 22. The Festival of Contemporary Music features Sean Shepherd’s Oboe Quartet (July 28), which draws inspiration from Mozart’s K. 270 Oboe Quartet.

Caramoor Summer Music FestivalKatonah, New York, June 16–July 29Caramoor’s summer programming shines a light of two of Steve Reich’s celebrated ensemble works: Mallet Quartet, performed by So Percussion on June 22, and Triple Quartet, performed by Kronos Quartet on June 29.

On June 17, The Knights perform Bernstein’s Three Dance Episodes from On the Town. Caramoor also presents an entire concert dedicated to Bernstein on Broadway, including songs from West Side Story, Candide, Wonderful Town, Peter Pan, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, and On the Town.

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra New Music FestivalBaltimore, Maryland, June 20–23Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Marin Alsop’s new festival, launched in 2017, features performances of Osvaldo Golijov’s Mariel for cello and marimba duo and James MacMillan’s The Exorcism of Rio Sumpúl on June 21, and MacMillan’s orchestral tone poem Woman of the Apocalypse on June 23.

Aspen Music Festival and SchoolAspen, Colorado, June 28–August 19Aspen Music Festival celebrates the Bernstein centennial with performances of his first and second symphonies, Serenade with Midori, and a concert performance of Trouble in Tahiti.

On July 14, pianist Orli Shaham performs Steve Reich’s Piano Phase in recital, and also performs Reich’s Quartet with guest musicians. On July 25, the Aspen Philharmonic Orchestra, led by Kerem Hasan, will perform Stravinsky’s recently rediscovered Funeral Song.

Opera Saratoga Summer FestivalSaratoga Springs, New York, June 29–July 15 Opera Saratoga premieres a new chamber version of David T. Little’s 2009–2010 opera Vinkensport, or The Finch Opera on June 30, with additional performance dates through July 14. Created with longtime collaborator Royce Vavrek, Vinkensport is a bitter-sweet comedy in one act that explores obsession, desire, and the need to win through an obscure Flemish folk sport called "finch-sitting."

Santa Fe OperaSanta Fe, New Mexico, June 29–August 25Santa Fe Opera launches its season with Bernstein’s beloved opera Candide on Friday June 29, with 10 performances through August 25.

The company also presents six performances of John Adams’s Doctor Atomic between July 14 and August 16, 2018. The production is directed by librettist and longtime Adams collaborator Peter Sellars and conducted by Matthew Aucoin. The setting of the opera takes on particular significance as Santa Fe is located only about 30 miles from Los Alamos, New Mexico, the birthplace of the atomic bomb.

Grand Teton Music FestivalTeton Village, Wyoming, July 2–August 18Violinist Leila Josefowicz has championed John Adams’s violin concerto Scheherazade.2 in recording and performances around the world. She performs the concerto, written specifically for her, at the Grand Teton Music Festival on July 13 and 14. On July 27 and 28, the Festival Orchestra and Donald Runnicles give the world premiere of Sean Shepherd’s Melt, which was co-commissioned by the Grand Teton Music Festival (with the Cabrillo Festival) to honor of its former board chair, Sylvia Neil.

The Festival closes on August 17 and 18 with a concert performance of Bernstein’s West Side Story.

Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary MusicSanta Cruz, California, July 29–August 12The Cabrillo Festival presents two works by Anna Clyne: Within Her Arms for string ensemble on August 9, and Abstractions for orchestra on August 11. Sean Shepherd’s Melt receives its next performance after Grand Teton and West coast premiere on the August 11 concert, conducted by Cristian Macelaru.

Salt Bay ChamberfestDamariscotta, Maine, August 7–17The Brentano String Quartet and cellist Wilhelmina Smith give the world premiere of a new string quintet by Steven Mackey called Joy Rhythm Study on August 17. The recital program also includes Mackey’s Fusion Tune, featuring the composer performing electric guitar.

On August 7, Osvaldo Golijov’s solo cello work Omaramor will be performed by Wilhelmina Smith.

Summer Festival Highlights in Europe

Aldeburgh Festival Snape, Suffolk, June 8–24The Aldeburgh Festival plays host to a pair of Birtwistle performances on June 18 in a concert conducted by Oliver Knussen: the world premiere of Keyboard Engine and the first UK performance of the complete Three Songs from the Holy Forest.

The Festival also presents the world premiere of Johannes Borowski’s Up and Down, performed by violinist Michael Barenboim.

BBC Proms London, United Kingdom, July 13–September 8In addition to a major focus on Bernstein works, the BBC Proms presents Magnus Lindberg’s Clarinet Concerto on July 16, performed by clarinettist and Boosey & Hawkes composer Mark Simpson.

On August 5, Thomas Dausgaard and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra present Bach’s six Brandenburg Concertos alongside newly commissioned companion works, including Approach—Prelude to a Canon by Brett Dean, the UK premiere of Triceros by Steven Mackey, and the UK premiere of Maya by Mark-Anthony Turnage.

Bregenzer Festspiele Bregenz, Austria, July 18–August 19Berthold Goldschmidt’s opera Beatrice Cenci receives its first Austrian staging at the Bregenz Festival from July 18 through 22. The new production by Johannes Erath is conducted by Johannes Debus with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra and Prague Philharmonic Choir. Events in Bregenz also include a concert with music from Goldschmidt’s ballet Chronica.

Salzburger FestspieleSalzburg, Austria, July 20–August 30On August 14, a concert performance of Gottfried von Einem’s opera Der Prozess (The Trial) is conducted by HK Gruber. The libretto is written by Boris Blacher and Heinz von Cramer after Franz Kafka’s 1925 novel.

Trondheim Chamber Music Festival Trondheim, Norway, September 25–29 Michel van der Aa serves as the 2018 Festival Composer at Trondheim. The Festival presents nine works by Van der Aa across six concerts, including For the Time Being (2017) for soprano, violin, bass and piano; Up-close (2010) for cello, strings and film; Spaces of Blank (2007) for mezzo soprano and orchestra; and Hysteresis (2013) for clarinet and sinfonietta.The highlight of the residency is the first Scandinavian staging of van der Aa’s 3-D chamber opera Blank Out (2016), to be performed by soprano Miah Persson.